dead chickies

[excellentesther]

i have young chickies, maybe a couple of months old, not laying yet. they seem very healthy but once a week we find a chicken dead. for the most part, no one has seemed ill beforehand. everyone seems to be running around and eating but you go out the next day and find her dead in the chickie house. they get the starter scratch still but are beginning to be "weaned" to laying pellets. they also get the extra large cukes and scraps from the veggie garden.
help!

 

[AngelzFyre]

They shouldn't be on layer pellets at all until they are at least 18weeks old or laying, too much calcium for 2 month old chicks.
They need the starter/grower food until then, fresh water and if you are giving them anything else as treats, they'll need chick grit.

Welcome to BYC!

 

[swampducks]

Do then dead chicks seem thin? Have you noticed whether the poo is loose, or funny colored?

 

[flakey chick]

Could it be heat related? What are your temperatures? Do you have plenty of fresh water in all the locations they roam?